A person who delays Medicare Part B enrollment because of active employer group coverage has a special enrollment period (SEP) of how many months after that group coverage ends?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Medicare Part B provides an 8-month special enrollment period (SEP) for individuals who delay enrollment while covered by active employer group health coverage based on their own or a spouse's current employment. The SEP runs for 8 months from the month after the group coverage ends, allowing enrollment without the late enrollment penalty. The 8-month window is longer than the 7-month initial enrollment period and is the correct duration for the post-group-coverage SEP, making A the right answer. The person must have been covered by group health insurance based on current employment of the individual or a spouse for the SEP to apply.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) 7 months is the length of the initial enrollment period that wraps around the 65th birthday month, not the SEP that follows the end of employer group coverage. Seven months is the initial enrollment window around the 65th birthday, not the SEP after group coverage.
- C) 3 months is part of the initial enrollment window structure (three months before the birthday month), but it is not the duration of the group-coverage SEP. Three months is only a segment of the initial enrollment window, not a standalone SEP duration.
- D) 12 months is not the Part B SEP length; the special enrollment period for employer group coverage is 8 months under Medicare rules. The SEP for active employer group coverage is fixed at 8 months under Medicare rules.
Memory hook
Employer coverage ends → you get 8 months to grab Part B, penalty-free. Eight, not seven, not three.